The suave and flamboyant Mumbai Indians skipper from Gujarat, Hardik Pandya has found himself enveloped in the world of celebrity gossip, for quite some time now. Soon enough, pictures of him vacationing in Greece with British origin singer Jasmin Walia surfaced on Instagram, and the fans were quick to speculate their alleged brewing romance in the months that followed.
The speculations intensified when pictures with similar backdrops were spotted by their followers, and the likelihood of a secretive romance slowly developing behind the scenes may be on the cards. Though the separation between Hardik and Natasa left their fans shocked and sent the social media into a frenzy with no apparent reason on the forefront, as soon as the rumors of a new mystery girl in Pandya’s life came to light, netizens connected the dots and extended their support towards Natasa.
Hardik and Natasa had met in 2018, got engaged in 2020, and were married in May 2020. At the time, his proposal and filmy whirlwind romance had captured enough media glare and public attention from all quarters. The cricketer announced his legal separation from actress-wife Natasa Stankovic last year, while agreeing to co-parent their son Agastya. The Bom-Diggy hitmaker and Pandya were rumored to be holidaying together abroad.
In the past, the starry cricketer has been linked to quite a few women from the entertainment fraternity including Elli Avram, Esha Gupta, Urvashi Rautela and Shibani Dandekar. If he rumours are believed to be true, we may see Walia cheering for Mumbai Indians and lending her support to her alleged beau.
What’s interesting to note is to what extent the performance of the all-rounder will shine through; and will the lady luck’s charm work its magic on his currently dwindling form. Players either exhibit a stellar show or head back to the pavilion quite disappointed, in the presence of their lady loves. Pandya’s performance in IPL 2024 was far below expectations and the team collectively also left the supporters disappointed. The loyal fans and game experts criticized his captaincy approach, and some of his decisions did bounce back to bite the Mumbai Indians. He was publicly booed at various venues, including the team’s home stadium Wankhede, with the displeasure visible on the faces of the attendees.
Whether HP will sail or sink with Walia around, is something only time will tell. Like they say, ‘everything is fair in love and war’.
